I’m sitting in Bonn Germany. In the kitchen of a historic house. The Sunflower Goddess grandfather clock is ticking behind me, and chimes every 30 minutes. The dishwasher is making melting water dripping sounds simultaneously. The tiles are red, and original from the 18th century. My heart is beating fast and it is 1am here. The trains in Germany are on strike, and all long distance trains are out of order. Lizzie and I had plans to go to Leipzig tomorrow for a show. She had to cancel the show because it takes 4 guaranteed train connections to get there. The risk of us getting stuck there, or somewhere in between, are greater than the benefits of performing the show. So tomorrow we are going to Berlin via ride share so Globelamp can perform on the 8th at Madame Claude. From Berlin we have a flight on the 9th to Paris so Globelamp can perform 2 shows in Paris on the 11th and 13th. From Paris we are going to Barcelona. We are mid figuring out what to pack for this next stretch of the journey.

These are some musical cities! Europe respects art with such a degree of passion that I feel more inspired than ever! When I was on the train to Bonn from Amsterdam I was sitting at a table seat with some curious strangers. One of which works for Deviant Art and wants to see my art portfolio! We have been conversing and I am excited to get some of my paintings out there.  I have been working on some more that are half way done. One day I’ll post about 3 at a time. Everything feels back logged right now. The internet is slow, so slow that it feels like shooting darts into a dark tunnel. Booking trains, flights and arranging transportation in general has been a nightmare since the train strike. The reason the trains are on strike is because the conductors want more pay. Traveling by train all through Europe is otherwise incredible. There are usually trains everyday 10 minutes for small routes and trains every 1 to 4 hours for long distance routes.

Since the Against Me! show in Koln, and meeting them in Hamburg ,Lizzie also opened for them in Amsterdam. A brief introduction to Hamburg; our first train stop into the city from the main train station was the Reeper Bon. This was “comforting”. Hamburg is a large city with a lot of districts. It has a port and is North and central Germany. There are more distracts than I could get a handle on in one day. Some lasting impressions were the red light district block. Very bold, red, regulated and legal, with a police station near. In exploring the history of Germany and Europe in general, Hamburg is a city that is built tall with flats, similar to Berlin, except more spacious from one building to the next. From what I saw, similar to Berlin there is a good mix of old and new buildings.

From Hamburg Lizzie and I rode in a bus to Amsterdam. We called the bus a submarine because it had 12 beds, a fridge, and 2 communal areas. It was packed tight and did not expand. It was a very musical experience. From the streets, pedestrians asking Lizzie to sing louder when she was jamming with Laura Jane Grace on the sidewalk. Music takes you to any city when you make it, live it, breathe it. Every city is musical, and connections can sometimes lead you to unexpected opportunities like opening for Against Me! in Amsterdam at the Bitter Zoet sold out show! The opportunities come as you go, out the door, and explore! Sometimes you just have to jump! Plans get you out the door, and into more connections.  In Europe, it has been proven to me that it is less about who you know, and more about what you do. What you do, the skills that you have are what opens doors. I was told this by a fellow Olympian who has been living in Paris and, now Amsterdam for the last 10 years. I have been proven this the entire trip. My life seems to be in awe, passion and devotion to art. This translates to any country. Particularly in Europe thus far. If I find a way to make a living out here, I’d stay. No questions asked.

In Bonn I’ve seen two operas and a castle. The first opera was Fidelio, Beethoven’s first and only opera. It was in German. Fidelio is a woman dressed as a man to play the role of a prison guard to save her husband. Fidelio was the first opera to stage in Berlin after WWll at the Theatre Des Westens. It is a story of sacrifice because the woman risks her life to be a male prison guard to save her husband, heroism because she makes a big scene to rescue him, and comes out to the other prison guards as a female, and triumph because both of their lives are saved at the end.

Then, the next morning we journeyed an hour drive to the Eltz Castle. One of the only original castles in Germany, that wasn’t destroyed in the war with Sweden because it was hidden in a foresty cove. The Eltz family is a mystery that I have just begun researching. I saw their castle today. I will dig up some good connections to the role the Eltz family played in early Europe! For now, this is a great resource for information about the castle.

http://burg-eltz.de/en/850-years-history.html

After a day exploring Eltz castle a few hours later we went to see the opera Solomei.

Internet is starting to go out again….Must publish before I lose everything. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way.

I will have to post pictures tomorrow.

Until then, Cheers.